. >> the estimate they will pay of $900 million in claims stemming from hurricane sandy which hit hard on the eastern u.s. coast in late november. >> they estimate overall damage from the storm will range between $20-$25 billion. of new york mayor michael bloomberg has but the damage at $19 billion in his city alone. it slipped through the caribbean of forcing the u.s. eastern seaboard. >> coming up, thousands of factory workers in bangladesh are protesting against poor and potentially lethal working conditions. >> first, a look at some other headlines this hour. poachers in the spanish region of catalonia have been dealt a setback. this all the convergence and union alliance losing seats. the nationalist party did win a majority overall. >> the israeli defense minister is planning to retire from politics. he says he will quit his post once the new government is formed after the elections in january. many political observers are expecting him to change political parties. >> israel has taken a step towards expanding its missile defense. existing systems down. hundreds of hamas rockets d